Narrative Visual Perspective in English

The lyric essay is a contemporary creative nonfiction form which combines qualities of poetry, essay, memoir, and research writing, while also breaking the boundaries of the traditional five-paragraph essay.  This unit we were tasked with writing a lyrical essay based on someone else’s experience. Mine detailed the experience of an anonymous aromantic friend.

“Even as a child, you sensed a glass wall between yourself and others.

 

One evening, when you were playing with friends, the topic of crushes came up. They seemed to have their own, but you don’t remember the names.

You look at the TV, there is a boy, you thought he was 13, he had freckles and brown curly hair.

In an attempt to break through the glass,

you turn to your friends and claim that boy as your crush. 

You didn’t break the glass,

for you didn’t know what a crush was.

 

You wanted to, though.

The other side seemed appealing.

 

So, you asked questions.

You peered through the glass.

 

“How do you know if you like someone?” 

“Your heart beats faster and you feel happy”.

“How do you know if you like someone?” 

“You feel a connection to that person and feel like yourself around them”.

“How do you know if you like someone?”

“I don’t know”.

 

You don’t know either. Too many answers thicken the glass. 

Like describing color to a blind person, they explained themselves to you.

So you stop asking, no, you stop wondering.

 

You accept your place behind the glass.

 

You like your place – it doesn’t feel foreign, like the other side”

Here is the transcript I used to create my essay:

The Aromantic Experience (October 12th, 2019)

 

Me: When did you realize you were aro?

 

Anon: Sometime between 8th grade and freshman year, I don’t exactly remember when. 

 

Me: What made you realize?

 

Anon: I had identified with stuff like demiromantic since middle school, but I slowly realized that I wasn’t really romantically interested in anyone, as I had never had a crush and I didn’t really have and “ideal partner”. I’ve always liked the idea of love but it took me a while to get that I wasn’t into love when it was applied to me if that makes any sense.

 

Me: It does, yeah. How do you feel about being aro?

 

Anon: Well, I don’t know, it really depends honestly. I’ve grown to like my experience now, but when I first realized I was pretty sad, romantic love is this glamorized thing in our society and not being able to partake in that made me a bit scared and stuff. 

 

Me: Could you elaborate on that?

 

Anon: Yeah, like, the ideal life we’re taught to have is like that white picket fence American dream, but being aro doesn’t really fit into that does it. Like finding your “soulmate” is such a bit emphasis for so many people, and we aren’t really taught about an option outside of that. I didn’t and still don’t really know what my end goal is since it’s not romance. I know I should be grateful because it gives me this sense of freedom and stuff, but it’s just kind of scary and lonely, not knowing where my life will or even should end up at.

 

Me: Oh wow, yeah I get that. To kind of transition more into the negative stuff I guess, have people made fun of you or anything for being aro?

 

Anon: I guess? No one’s ever pointed a finger at me and laughed at me, I’d honestly laugh back at them if they did that but, I have had people say some rude things, both directly and indirectly. I’ve had people say I’m too young to know, people call my life sad, and stuff. One person I used to be friends with said she wouldn’t let me be aro when I came out to her. I get that came from a place of kindness and stuff but it just sounded pretty offensive. Online, I’ve seen some articles describing people who don’t get romantic inclinations as “not evil” like it was a common assumption to just think people like me are evil. Aromanticism is also classified by some as one of those “snowflake” fake orientations, which feels pretty stupid, but people are surprisingly adamant about it. There’s more stuff but I just can’t remember it all right now haha.

 

Me: Yeah that’s enough don’t worry. Since being aro is a pretty unique experience, do you feel yourself being in a weird spot in society?

Anon: Yeah, definitely. I get a different perspective on many things most people are biased towards toward. I also just generally feel like an alien in many ways, like a lot of my priorities are not the same as other peoples, I guess.

 

Me: Ok looks like that’s all the time we have right now, thank you for willing to be interviewed and stuff.